Gore Announces New Soft Shell

You'd think there were enough soft shells around already, but the number is set to swell further with the announcement that three US companies will be offering Gore Windstopper Soft Shell garments this autumn.

Mountain Hardwear, Marmot and lightweight specialists GoLite will be the first on the market to get the new Gore technology, however it sounds very similar to the Gore N2S-based soft shells being developed in the UK by Mountain Equipment.

Gore say that the new material is: 'a unique insulated stretch shell material engineered to be totally windproof, very breathable and water-resistant without compromise.' They also claim that existing soft shell products 'provide the comfortable fit of a mid-layer but lack the performance and technology to truly serve as a weather resistant shell' - which will be news to Patagonia and others...

It seems like the new soft shell fabric is due to a combination of DWR - Durable Water Repellancy - and the membrane technology already in use in Windstopper fleece and N2S garments, which Gore says is far more water-resistant than its rivals once the DWR coating has worn off.

Hmmm... Does sound a lot like what ME are doing - see this article - anyway, the US stuff should be in the shops this autumn. More about GoLite next week.